桜色舞うころ

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The changing trees – only they sawQuietly teaching us
That we can’t stay in one place

So I am currently learning a Japanese song on the piano called “Sakurairo Maukoro (or in Japanese: 桜色舞うころ), and the italicized portion above is a rough translation of a part in the song (or maybe how I prefer it to be translated). This portion deeply resonates with me because, in such a succinct and poetic way, I feel it captures my time in Japan, and how fleeting it all was, just like the cherry trees painted in this song. This portion stirs in me a sweet ache, a nostalgic longing I feel is embedded in the countryside of Okayama (where I lived). And with my time there came life lessons – at times heartbreaking, poignant, but always eye-opening. I’ve learned that sometimes our life must lead to destruction so that we learn to rebuild, and to do so unreservedly, earnestly. I’ve learned that though we sometimes have to leave those we’ve grown to love, distance doesn’t have to inhibit the growth of such loves. I’ve learned to appreciate the beautiful chaos, and that it inevitably begins to fade, making room for more of life’s curious treasures.

Here’s the Japanese verse from which the above italicized portion was translated: